Aneta Regel

Wall Street International

18 August, 2017

Jason Jacques Gallery is pleased to present Second Nature, an exhibition of recent work by contemporary ceramic sculptor Aneta Regel, and the artist’s first solo exhibition in the Unites States. "Similar to artists of a century ago represented by my gallery, Aneta has pushed the boundaries of the ceramic medium, using clay and color to evoke sensuous objects that are layered in transformation," says gallery principal Jason Jacques. Born in Poland, Regel now lives and works in London where she is an inimitable, dynamic part of the ceramics scene, and a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. “Working and living in London for 17 years, exploring its vibrant multicultural energy, has changed me,” says Regel. “My work has gradually become an eclectic mixture of elements, the result of a meeting of the past with present reality, of Western and Eastern cultures.”

The exhibition will include over three dozen of Regel’s current ceramic work, all revolving around animalesque, quasi-botanic forms. Her ceramics incorporate a wide range of organic materials. In addition to clay and layers of glaze, Regel also uses volcanic rock, basalt, granite, and feldspars to form the main body of her pieces, resulting in visually complex textures. "Aneta successfully uses material, shape, and color to convey meaning and elicit emotion, with striking compositions in clay that engage the eye through their variegated surfaces and both brilliant and subtle hues," says Jason T. Busch, director of Jason Jacques Gallery.

Regel’s treatment of and approach to her medium bears a humble air of self-reference in that the clay is paired with stone, left unglazed, and used to hint at its origin, nature. “Multiple layers of the same elements in different states are repeatedly dried and re-fired, telling a story of constant metamorphosis, of conflict and change,” says Regel. “They emphasize the materials’ capacity to be modified, which perhaps equates to not only our own ontology but also on the way we interact with objects and one another.”

Much of Regel’s inspiration is drawn from the natural landscapes and features of her native Poland, such as forests, riverbeds, and boulders. She captures the forms, energies, and rhythms of these natural features and phenomena. Regel explains “the human body and objects found in nature fascinate me. My work carries anthropomorphic references and autobiographical narratives.” Posed within the provocative rift between abstraction and figuration, the objects take on the moods and aspects of living figures as they stand, lean, and recline.

Rather than mimicking or depicting nature, Regel creates forms which exist parallel to it. These objects communicate her vision through their abstract forms, positions, colors, textures, and the ability to give a sense of the natural scenery which inspired them.